Scherzer reportedly not receiving interest from wealthy teams

The Yankees have made headlines in recent weeks due to their assurance they won't pursue former Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer.

Unbeknownst to them, they may just be one of many teams in that category.

The New York Post's Ken Davidoff reported Thursday most of the other wealthy clubs are too shying away from the right-hander, who's gone 39-8 with a 3.02 ERA over the last two seasons. Scherzer is said to be asking for upwards of $200 million, a price few can be expected to want to hand out.

"Many clubs, among them the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants and Dodgers, have been vocal about their disinclination to enter the Scherzer sweepstakes," Davidoff wrote. "The Angels are sending signals they’re good to go with their current starting rotation. The Tigers and Nationals, two favorite destinations for [Scott] Boras clients in the past, also say they aren't going there."

It's worth noting those teams aren't the only ones to express their intention not to negotiate with Scherzer. The Cubs, who signed another free agent ace in Jon Lester at the Winter Meetings, have also stated their plans to stand clear of him, according to Davidoff.

But could that leave the door open for the Nationals and Angels to take him, despite their past claims? 

"One official from an AL club on Tuesday speculated the possibility of the Nationals trading Jordan Zimmermann, a year away from free agency himself, and signing Scherzer," Davidoff divulged. "Another official from a second AL team pegged the Angels as the team to give in and sign Scherzer."

The Angels could probably use Scherzer as a way to solidify their place at the top of the AL West, seeing as their main divisional competitor, the Mariners, have long been known to have a dominant rotation. Jered Weaver, their veteran contributor, has struggled to stay healthy lately, and lefty C.J. Wilson has underperformed. 

Yet since Weaver and Wilson are both on high-paying contracts, it's also possible Los Angeles will just stick to its guns, an act that'd leave Scherzer on the market even longer and in doing so give others more time to think.

Yankees Not In on Asdrubal Cabrera

Whether this is all a ploy and Bubba Crosby is going to be our center fielder next season or if this is the truth remains to be seen but the New York Yankees are apparently "out" on Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera was at one point a offensive minded shortstop who has lost some range and is now better suited as a second baseman. Earlier in the week we reported that Cabrera would be willing to take a one year deal to establish his value and his market in next year's class, which would be right up the Yankees alley, but it seems like New York is content using Robert Refsnyder and/or Jose Pirela for the job.

In a word, good. The team doesn't need any more reclamation projects and the team doesn't need another veteran undeserving of a job that is blocking a prospect. Let Refsnyder have the job and let the Mets have Cabrera.

Merry Christmas from The Greedy Pinstripes

We wanted to take a short minute to wish everyone reading this from whatever part of the globe your on a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or Happy Thursday/Friday depending where you are and depending on your beliefs. We truly do appreciate and love every single one of you out there, whether you agree or disagree with our postings and opinions, and we wish you nothing but the best from the bottom of our hearts.

Thank you and Merry Christmas.

Trenton Thunder Announce 2015 Fireworks Show Dates

New Friday Night Fireworks promotion highlights 26-show schedule

The Thunder today announced the schedule of post-game fireworks shows for the 2015 season. Friday night fireworks are back, and include six shows following Friday night games.


"We're excited to bring fireworks to ARM & HAMMER Park on Friday nights this year," said Will Smith, General Manager of the Thunder. "Thunder fans have always showed how much they enjoy our fireworks shows, so it only made sense to add more to the schedule in 2015."

The first show will take place on Saturday, April 18 after the game against the Portland Sea Dogs and run on select Thursday, Friday,Saturday and Sunday nights throughout the season. The final fireworks show of the season is scheduled to run on Sunday, September 6 after the final night game of the regular season against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

The dates below will feature a post-game fireworks show:


April 18, May 1, 2, 14, 16, 21, 29, 30, June 6, 11, 18, 27, July 2, 3, 10, 11, 23, 25, August 6, 14, 15, 21, 22, September 3, 5, & 6.


"Fans will be impressed by the shows we are preparing for 2015," said Smith. "We've always provided our fans with the best show in town, and we think our fireworks spectaculars continue that tradition."

Predicting the 2015 American League playoff picture

As we near the offseason's halfway point, it's not looking that great for the Yankees. Yes, they signed Andrew Miller and Chase Headley to longterm deals this month, but considering all the moves other contenders have made, is it safe to say 2015 will be another down year for them?

The short answer: yeah, probably. The AL Central is a division with three potential powerhouses, the AL West still has the Angels and Mariners, and the AL East will be tough with reloaded teams in the Red Sox and Blue Jays. But is there no hope for the Yankees? Definitely not, and here's why.

1. The AL West Only Has Two Contenders: After losing Derek Norris, Jon Lester, Jeff Samardzija and Josh Donaldson this winter, it's likely the A's won't do much next year. As is probably the case with the Rangers, who are currently looking more at youngsters to lead the way. So who does that leave? The Angels, who let's assume will win the division, and the Mariners. Now since Seattle signed Nelson Cruz a few weeks ago, I'll give them a Wild Card. But still, that leaves one spot open for the Yankees if they need it, making the whole thing decently tolerable. 

2. Departures and Question Marks in the AL Central: Good as they've been in the past, the Tigers will be in trouble next season with their pitching staff. Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer (unless they suddenly decide to pursue him) are gone, and it's unlikely Shane Greene, Alex Wilson and Alfredo Simon will adequately replace them. Yoenis Cespedes is good, but even with him, they're probably not going to win more games next year than they did in 2014. Add on the fact that Royals' ace James Shields as well as two of Kansas City's best hitters (Nori Aoki and Billy Butler) have left or will leave and it's certainly possible just one club will come out of the midwest next season.

3. The Four-Team AL East: The Rays are having a fire sale, so they won't compete anytime soon. The Orioles have decent pitching, but with Nick Markakis and the aforementioned Cruz having signed elsewhere, it's a safe bet they'll also be worse next year. The Blue Jays have built up, but doing so didn't exactly help them in 2013. The Red Sox don't have a reliable rotation, and that can't help them either. Basically, the AL East, with the exception of the Rays, is a mystery. The Yankees could win it, or they could do well enough for a Wild Card. Nothing's impossible.

To put it simply, as weak as the Yankees may seem to some right now, they aren't in a much worse position than anyone else. Every team has unknowns, though granted most don't have as many as they do. Nonetheless, there's hope for the Yankees in 2015. It may not be obvious or even a favorable amount, but it's there. It's time we acknowledge that already and stop thinking that the much easier strategy of spending is the only path they can take to success.

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/25

On this day in history long,long ago George Steinbrenner had one too many beers with that elf on the shelf, put on the ugliest Christmas sweater he could find, bought a slay and went around the world spreading Christmas cheer. He was later named Santa Claus for the Yankees haters because they cannot put aside their differences even on Christmas but that's okay, we continue to pray for the Yankees haters. Long story short this morning you can tell your kids that Santa brought them all their presents but we all know that it was George Steinbrenner who started it all.

Merry Christmas all! And if you don't celebrate Christmas then Happy Holidays. And if you don't celebrate anything I hope that you have a great day anyway and enjoy the paid day off for not believing.